Food Trek: A (Wine) Barrel of Fun at the Auction of Washington Wines Picnic

I'd like to say it's no picnic being a food blogger, but that's a total lie -- it's totally a picnic. With incredible food and wine. I attended my first (but not last) Picnic and Barrel Auction, the kickoff event for the 3-day Annual Auction of Washington Wines. It's a big meet-and-greet with local winemakers, sips and bites of all kinds, and it's a fundraiser for Seattle Children's Hospital and the viticulture and enology research departments at Washington State University.

Cheers to Washington Wines! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

FoodTrek: Treat Yo Self! Brunch and Wine Tasting

Summer may have waned, but you can also count the summer rush of visitors mellowing as well, which makes it all the more reason to be a leisurely tourist in your own town. Less traffic, less hassle, more fun times to be had, even for the rainy days ahead, because there is no rain on your parade when you do brunch and wine tasting in the Wood-Hood, aka Woodinville.

Breakfast Sandwich of GIBRALTAR at The Commons Cafe in Woodinville - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Mixed Plate: Summer Lovin', Happened So Fast!

For as much as I complain about the heat of summer, or rather, our inability to adjust to the return of the blazing orb in the sky called, The Sun, it's probably the most active time of the year for us Pacific Northwesternites. I literally couldn't keep up with the summertime points of interest on the blog, so I decided to hit the Montage button, and just say a big, huge THANK YOU, SUMMER! Because it'll probably take all winter for us to recover in time for next year's summer. Despite the waning days of August, we'll likely have a summery September to look forward to. Summertime - Onwards!

Unbelievable Northwest summer sunsets! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

FoodTrek: In Search of the Elusive Golden Grape

Patience, Grasshopper... one food/wine event at a time. While I adhered to only 50% of the title at the Seattle Wine and Food Experience last weekend by sticking to food vs wine (blame a weak constitution that day), I made sure to make up for it this past Sunday at the 3rd Annual Golden Grape Awards at Willows Lodge, over in the wood-'hood of Woodinville. Plenty of local Washington wines to sip, with an award ceremony -- kind of like the Oscars... but way more fun.

Pour it on - sipping some winning wines at Golden Grape Awards - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Mixed Plate: Being Thankful (for Shameless Self-Promotion)

Tis the season... for another moment of Shameless Wasabi Prime Self Promotion! Because, really, that's what the holidays are all about, right? Actually, it's more like The Holidays Make Me Feel So Freakin' Thankful for Everything in this Wacky Life, mainly the opportunity to be able to do the work I enjoy doing, have it pay the bills, and have kind folks like you take a minute out of your hectic day to take a peek. It means a lot to me, and don't think I don't appreciate it as we near Thanksgiving!

My biggest announcement that's worth getting put up on the refrigerator door is having a photo I shot of the roasted tomato flatbread at Black Bottle Postern getting the OMG-I-Can't-Believe-It Cover spot on the latest issue of 425 Magazine. I contribute regularly to their Flavor column, but getting the cover was such an honor and thrill. To wander in a grocery store or past a newsstand and see a photo you shot on a magazine cover is unbelievable. It's weird and awesome, all at the same time! I love having the regular column, as it has me exploring different dishes every month, revisiting old favorites and discovering new places -- it's like Food Exercise, it makes you step outside of your comfort zone and try new restaurants. It sounds simple enough, but you realize how so few people make it a point to try different eating places; we are creatures of habit, rarely wandering outside our comfort zones. I have to say, having it be part of your job makes the exploration a priority I wish more people would consider.

I remain continually thankful for being able to explore with my appetite, and for that, I'm appreciative for 425 Magazine, for giving me the regular kick in the behind to get out there and satisfy a hunger for discovery. If you happen to see the issue on the newsstands, pick up a copy -- there's great pieces about local restaurants as well as soundbites of favorite bites from local food folks. You'll see a familiar face or two, I guarantee it!

Another big item on my Thankful List is being able to integrate my graphic design/illustration work with the food and beverage industry. For the most part, a lot of my design work tends to stay within the realm of small business/tech -- a lot of work you'll never see, as it was never intended for the masses. But every now and then, I get a really fun project, one that lets me get my Creative Boogie on. I was very fortunate to be able to design the event logo and illustrations for the upcoming Saint Nick's Winter in Woodinville event coming up on November 30th through December 2nd. This was a really fantastic project -- fun wine-themed logos and illustrations, working with an enthusiastic team, and the joy of being able to show Mom and Dad: look, your daughter's making artsy booze! They love this stuff.

If you're in the area and able to attend, St. Nick's is a weekend-long wine-themed holiday celebration with tons of local wineries participating in tastings and open-house events. It will kick off with a tree lighting event Friday night on the 30th at Chateau Ste. Michelle, and then a big evening wine tasting at the Chateau -- I'm looking forward to attending that one, so I hope to see you crazy kids there! Head to the event page for ticket information -- some things might be sold out, but the weekend-long open house at the wineries looks like a fun way to kick off December. It's getting to be that time of year for parties and dinners, and bringing a bottle of wine is always a perfect and easy host gift.

And cheers yet again to Drink Me Magazine, for letting me create boozy-themed recipes for their magazine. I just saw the latest South of the Border issue come out, and I'm craving a tequila cocktail this very second! Loved developing the latest recipe, a mole sauce using a smoky Scotch ale, which is tasty stuff for the chilly days ahead. Head over to their website, as they keep a digital copy of the magazine for those who don't live in the Bay Area, where the magazine is distributed.

Cheers to being thankful for gainful employment! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

And so the Thankful Train continues along its way, my honest-to-blog appreciation for being able to do creative projects and consider it another day at the office. It's rare to be able to do this, I realize this more than anyone else. I've done my hard-time in Maximum Security Corporate America, locked in the Cell Block D of cubicle-land, bouncing a rubber ball against the walls of my brainpan, a la Steve McQueen in The Great Escape, imagining a cinematic escape involving a motorcycle jump over several other vehicles. It's not all easy-going and magical fun food days, it's still a long, hard road of doing a lot of other work to be able to afford the time to do the fun projects. But I wouldn't change any of it, and all those people doing the same thing as me are nodding their heads in agreement, I'm sure of it. I'm incredibly lucky to be able to do any and all of this, and a lot of the thanks go out to all of you who are reading this right now. Writing a food blog is a healthy regiment to keep inspiration and all things edible fresh in my mindgrape, and the encouragement to keep going comes from readers, folks on Twitter and all the wonderful people I've met along the way. So I send a hearty Wasabi Thanks to everyone out there -- none of this would be possible without you and your kind words of encouragement. Thank You.

FoodTrek: The Drunken Prom I Never Had

For those about to wine/spirit taste their way through Woodinville... we salute you. I think that should be the gladitorial sendoff for any bacchanalian bender. For some, it was a lazy weekend afternoon, for myself and a few brave souls, it was a trial by alcohol fire, the passing of our livers and self-respect through the Valhalla of about a half-dozen different wineries and distilleries. We came out alive on the other side, fuzzy-headed, a bit hungover and craving greasy eggs and bacon. But alive. And victorious.

If I were a purple octopus, I would have looked exactly like this - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Woodinville seems to be on the blog's radar lately. Not for any reason beyond the fact that it's not miserable winter, and there's quite a bit of stuff out there to discover, if you've got the spirit of adventure in you. Or just a desire for distilled spirits, they have those too, along with a ton of wineries/tasting rooms -- the city is literally drunk with the good stuff! Some friends had out-of-town guests staying for a long weekend and they wanted to do something fun, so a plot for a wine tasting excursion was hatched. I have to say the most crucial thing for such a plot is summed up in two words: Safety First, aka, Party Bus. Yes, hire a car and driver for the day. We used a company called Seattle Green Limo; great drivers (ours was Todd, who was 100% Awesome) and their cars use biodiesel, which means the vehicles, much like myself, run on French Fries. It's win-win, having a wine country-knowledgeable driver safely behind the wheel, plus your loved ones and the local authorities will thank you for it. If it's a group as big as ours -- we had 10 people -- they have mini-buses that are like a prom on steroids, complete with disco lighting and coolers to keep your Dom or $5 bottle of Cook's chilled like a rap superstar. There's even an easy plug-in dock to attach your iPhone so you can blast that douchey playlist full of Color Me Badd and Vanilla Ice retro favorites. I see you nodding your head in "aw, hells yeah" agreement -- this is a good time.

Kicking things off at Novelty Hill - drunken parkour lessons to follow - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Our first stop was the Novelty Hill Winery. This is probably my favorite tasting room space -- it's beautiful with its modern-Northwest architecture, plus it has a full kitchen and on weekends you can order food like flatbread pizzas to go with your tastes. It does get busy on the weekends, so if there's a big crowd (like us) just be patient, wander the place and play some bocce in their outdoor patio. Their summer rosé is very refreshing, but in general, I tend to stick to their reds (Merlot, Petit Verdot), specifically the Januik wines for the rich flavors, but that's just my preference. This was a great winery to start out because it's so picturesque and for people coming from out of town, it's a strong start to the Pacific Northwest wine experience. It's also really close to the mainstays, Chateau St. Michelle and Columbia Winery, but on this day, there was a huge car show going on at the Chateau, so we didn't want to hassle with all that. And because the Novelty Hill location is so stunning, it's a great place to start out when you're dead-sober, so you can appreciate it before the wine buzz starts to kick in, and you start doing bad parkour off their outdoor benches.

Wonderfully weird times while wine and spirit-tasting - Photos by Wasabi Prime

We could somewhat customize the tour, so we requested Novelty Hill  as well as a visit to Woodinville Whiskey Company, which is just down the road from the winery. It's a nice thing to balance out the tour with things the fellas can appreciate. Not that girls don't like whiskey, of course, but for a  mix of people and their respective tastes, it's nice to keep things interesting. They've started to sell their barrel-aged bourbon and rye whiskey, beautiful packaging and the color is lovely -- gift quality, if you're thinking of Father's Day ideas. I like their rye in particular, I need to pick up a bottle of that when we make some room in our overstuffed liquor cabinet/shelf/cupboard. The skies were overcast and a little chilly that day, so the little sips of whiskey were just what Dr.Happiness ordered.
Party Bus means the drivers will have a list of places they usually hit, generally the Warehouse District of Woodinville, which has the greatest concentration of tasting rooms from the local wineries. Industrial parks are affordable, they have the space to accomodate the wine or spirit makers' equipment, and even though the exterior may seem innocuous, the interiors are always unique to the owner's creative whims. While it may not be as picturesque as some Mission-style wine kingdom in the gilded hills of Napa, Woodinville's Warehouse District is more like where the cool kids go. And you wanna be cool, don't you?

They don't let you play drunk ping pong or smooch taxidermied foxes in Napa - Photos by Wasabi Prime

We visited a few more wineries nestled in the Warehouse area -- Cuillin Hills and Patterson Cellars. I made a quick personal stop at Matthews Estate's satellite tasting room to pick up a bottle of their 2009 Claret before joining the rest of the group at Cuillin Hills. I particularly like Cuillin Hills because I'm a sucker for labels and wine names. With ones like The Dungeon (Syrah) or Shackled (blend of Syrah and Mourvedre), it would be great to have those for a game night with our Dungeons and Dragons friends. Yes, we're one of those weirdos, but no we don't dress up like Hobbits. Patterson Cellars is always a popular favorite, so by the time we got to their tasting room, it was full of people, but we managed to get a few sips in. I've had their Forbidden White, a nice clean blend of about six different grapes, including Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc; it's a nicely balanced summer sipping wine. I wasn't too fazed that the Patterson experience was so busy, luckily their wine is easy to find in restaurants, but I do want to spend more time browsing more of the wineries in that area. There's like 40 different wineries in that maze of buildings, many of them small, whose wines aren't available in wine shops, so this is the place to get the bottles direct from the people who made it.


Excellent question - Photo by Wasabi Prime

The darling of our Warehouse tour was Project V Distillery. And yes, I realize they're not a winery. I'd met them at an Eastside Bartenders Association event ages ago and was really excited to see more craft distillers setting up shop, especially so close to where we live. Wait, is that a good thing or a bad thing? Their Single Silo vodka is from Washington wheat, it goes through a pretty meticulous process using stills they built from the ground-up, to make a clean, yet flavorful product. I know that sounds weird, describing vodka with a taste, but I think people get used to super-filtered ones like Grey Goose, which is great for mixing, but as many have called it before, it's Drunk Flavored Water. Single Silo has a bready sweetness from the wheat, a natural sugar retaining a whisper of the ingredient that was used to make it, and it's just a fine product. The chai infusion vodka was popular, where you infuse their vodka with a house blend chai -- the Mister liked that in particular, so we took their chai infusion set home as a souvenir. But even on its own, Single Silo is good, and Project V's setup is as impressive as it is entertaining.

V is for Vodka, that's good enough for me - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The tastings at Project V ranged from tasty to knock-your-socks-off drunkfacewater. They wanted to show the balancing of the flavors, easing back on the heat of the alcohol to help develop their signature product, but whew, what a lesson; my liver still whimpers a little at the thought of it. But it does make you appreciate the care that goes into the bottle with their name on it.

Spending a day tasting local wines and spirits was as much for us locals as it was the people visiting. Sure, we had our fun being rowdy, drunk hooligans in a party bus, but life's not just about killing ourselves one brain cell at a time. I think the gang had a great experience discovering how many wineries are less than a half hour from their homes, these places are run by people who truly love what they do, and it crafts a story around each bottle. We see things on store shelves, they're more product than creation. Closing the gap between big industry and a small, independent company redefines what "The Good Stuff" really means. Not more expensive, not something douchey celebrities mix with Red Bull, just something genuine, crafted with care. That's something we can all drink to, no?

You never know what you'll find in a warehouse - Photos by Wasabi Prime

FoodTrek: Iron Vintner Challenge 3 - The Vine Strikes Back!

Put on your best Chairman Kaga outfit, it's that time of year again! If you haven't already checked out the annual Iron Vintner Challenge that The Willows Lodge hosts every summer, you're missing out. So many people watch shows like Iron Chef or Chopped, getting swept up in the throes of a cooking battle with secret ingredients, pitted against a cooking competitor as well as the pressure of a ticking clock. It's nerve-wracking, it's stress-inducing and we can't get enough of it. So who wouldn't want to see all this reality drama in actual reality, in a garden patio with the comfort of food straight off the grill and a whole lotta tasty wine? This is not a trick question. You should just be nodding your head and checking your schedule to get tickets to the next Iron Vintner Challenge.

The secret ingredient is... NEMO! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

So what if you don't watch reality TV and all this sounds like crazy moon language? Well here's the breakdown behind Iron Vintner: two culinary-wise winemakers are pitted against one another in the Willows Lodge outdoor grilling arena, they are tasked with preparing an appetizer and entree featuring a secret ingredient that's revealed moments before the clock starts, all under an hour. It sounds simple enough, Ritz Crackers and some beans in a can -- easy, right? No, you fool! The Culinary Grill-Octagon Arena requires more of its vintner warriors, they have to impress a panel of judges, generally a mix of food experts and award winning chefs. And if that's not pressure enough, there's a live audience of boisterous wine-loving attendees that they must impress and entertain while trying not to burn the food or lop off a hand. It's like Gladiator, but minus the tiger.

This is not your typical backyard barbecue - Photos by Wasabi Prime

There are two bracket rounds that narrow the winemaker-chef finalists, and they compete in one last championship round to name the year's Iron Vintner Champion. The month-long event culminates in a Championship Dinner at The Barking Frog, with a four-course meal paired with wine, a live auction and a chance to see all the winemakers, as well as have some of their winning dishes. What it's all really about is raising money for Little Bit Theraputic Riding Center, a local group that uses equine therapy for children and adults with disabilities, a gentle method of healing that has changed the lives of many in the greater Seattle area. Each challenge round has a live auction to build donations and momentum for the Championship Dinner, and I have to say, this is the one auction that puts all those rubber chicken charity dinners to shame -- it's seriously fun. Blame the wine, but people get loopy, enthusiasm hits a fever pitch, and crazy stuff gets auctioned: early tastes of what the winemakers are cooking, random bottles of wine appear from neighboring winemakers which are signed while the bids fly, and items on the original auction list get modified every which way and the people who win the bids often walk away with a lot of extras. Little Bit gets all the proceeds, lucky guests have personalized dinners and tastings -- everyone wins. This makes for a very good day.

Guardian vs Barrage - it sounds like an epic battle, doesn't it? - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Iron Vintner Year 3 kicked off with a bang. This first round had Guardian Cellars versus Barrage Cellars, two local winemakers showing they can make more than a tasty glass of vino, given the delicious challenge of working with the incredible secret ingredient: Copper River King Salmon. That salmon was huge, the color was gorgeous and if the head wasn't already lopped off, you'd think it was fresh enough to jump off the ice and make a break for it. The judges for this round were superstar local chefs and restauranteurs Tom Douglas and Theirry Rautureau, and Maxime Bilet, one of the rockstar chef/authors behind the awe-inspiring Modernist Cuisine collection. Oh sure, cooking for these guys -- no pressure or anything, right??

Celebrity judges, wild ingredients and an auction that will make your head spin - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I was fortunate to be invited to join the Twitter brigade for one of last year's Iron Vintner Challenge rounds, as well as this year's first round. I was lucky to see Chris Gorman's team win last year's championship round, and this year was a great opportunity to see it from the beginning, since I can actually share the post early enough to where you can get tickets to attend either the next two rounds (June 13th and June 20th) or just go for the gusto and get tickets for the Championship Dinner on June 27th at Barking Frog. If you're considering the dinner, just get the tickets -- they sell out fast, even before an Iron Vintner Champion is named. I enjoy the challenge rounds because it's an adventure waiting to unfold -- there's drama at every turn if something doesn't turn out right, a scramble for ingredients, that ever-present ticking clock, and even a bit of pathos -- those knives are sharp and challengers have spilled blood in the name of Iron Vintner! But this year has been thankfully injury-free, so far.

The sound, the fury and the flavor of Iron Vintner Round 1 in action - Photos by Wasabi Prime

All this talk of culinary skills -- what about the food? I have to say, winemakers place as much attention upon what goes on the plate as they do in the glass. Granted not all winemakers are skilled in the kitchen, but the ones chosen for the Iron Vintner Challenge have the heart of a chef, and you realize why they became winemakers. They are gourmands, they appreciate the value of good ingredients and learn to present them in a respectful way, like a refreshing salmon tartare, savory salmon crepes with a buttery wine sauce, or cedar smoked salmon with spaetzle and tomato jam. I kept my hunger at bay with the pulled pork slider and kobe beef slider from the Willows Lodge special event menu, but I was still able to sample the vintner-created dishes and they were a delight. The savory crepe celebrated the fatty richness of the salmon with the equally rich sauce. The salmon grilled on a sheet of cedar, served with the tomato jam was one of my favorites, it was spicy and well-seasoned, and I have a weakness for buttery-rich spaetzle.  

Vintner creations and Willows Lodge bites to feed a hungry crowd - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Of course these dishes charmed the judges as well -- the winner of Iron Vintner Challege Round 1 was Team Guardian Cellars, who really went the extra mile and showed some great handcrafted skills while infusing the fish with extra flavor. It's all friendly competition, of course -- this is the event series where you can hang out with the Cool Wine Kids for a night and do something to support the community. So yes, I'm totally plugging the Iron Vintner Challenge, because it's in the wood-hood of Woodinville, close to where I live, I'm often at Willows Lodge because I dig their Happier Hour, and the local winemakers are super-duper cool for coming together every year to help make this happen. This is what summers in Washington were made for, and I walk away from an event like this wondering why I'd ever want to live anywhere else. And P.S. - I love you iPhone and Instagram yet again, for being such a great on-the-spot camera, since I couldn't operate my big ol' Canon and Tweet at the same time. I still can't believe I got all these photos using my phone!!

Yo Adriaaaaaan!!! Guardian Cellars wins Round 1 and moves into the Championship Round - Photo by Wasabi Prime

FoodTrek: Wine, Pizza and Memory Lane

I revisited the Columbia Winery in Woodinville recently, to admire their recent renovations as well as sip some of their wines and sample the new flatbread pizzas they're serving in their tasting room. As I was heading home, I realized that Columbia Winery was my first introduction to the world of wine when I moved to Washington. I left California before coming of age to really appreciate the wineries up north, and living in Arizona, I wouldn't say the desert heat and soil is particularly viticulture-friendly. It was a visit to Columbia Winery over a decade ago for a wine tasting event that started it all. While I've been back several times since that first visit, this post does have a sentimental feeling of coming full circle.

Newly renovated wine club room at Columbia Winery in Woodinville - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Oenophile I am not, I'm simply a great enjoyer of wine and not always knowing the right descriptive beyond, "Yum. Another glass, please." But I do appreciate how experiential wine can be, not only in the drinking of it, but seeing where it's made and meeting the people involved in the process. Columbia Winery is the "old soul" of Washington wine, producing distinctive vintages since 1962, and growing into the state's largest winemaker. Even if you don't live in the area, chances are you've heard of them or seen their wines at your local stores. The winery is a favorite among the locals for weddings -- even in the chill of winter and our recent storms, it's still a popular place to hold a special event. I was told that over the previous weekend, a wedding was taking place at 6, and the power was knocked out hours before, but clearly Bacchus the God of Wine was smiling down upon the lucky couple -- the power managed to come back on at 5:30. I know they can't promise miracles in their event brochure, but apparently Columbia Winery has the good mojo working for it.

Follow the good advice of the wine barrel -- Enjoy! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I remember back when the Spirit of Washington train still ran, where you board a train in Renton and make your way out to Woodinville and wind up at the Columbia Winery. The train delivered you right in front of the picturesque Queen Anne-style building, you could tour the grounds, sample the wine, and get a glimpse of the winemaking process itself. I always took visitors on the winery train tour, and even when the train sadly had to shut down, I still took friends to Columbia Winery because they did such a lovely job of presenting the story of their wine with a really beautiful experience. Times have continued to change, and the wine production has moved closer to their grapes, out to Sunnyside in Eastern Washington. Yet the distinctive building remains and they're still doing the good work of being wine ambassadors, providing ample space to sidle up to the wine bar for a glass and a good story.

Hanging  out with Kerry Norton and Bill Collins shows how to charm the ladies - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I have to say, they crafted a truly cozy space to sit and just enjoy the evening with something delicious. A centerpiece fireplace, comfy leather chairs and sofas, and a blazing hot oven outside producing crispy flatbread pizzas are among the additions to the winery's tasting room. And really, as our college days have taught us well -- you can't beat pizza and wine. I was fortunate to be introduced to the gentlemanly charmer that is Bill Collins, one of their wine experts and keeper of wonderful wine tales. He gave a tour of the new Cellar Club tasting room with a beautiful copper ceiling -- a nice private tasting room that's a perk of being a wine club member. And he did a wonderful job of pairing wines with the pizzas. I was also very lucky to be there on a night that Director of Winemaking Kerry Norton was on this side of the state. Normally he's at Wine HQ in Sunnyside, but I was lucky to get a chance to talk with him and hear his thoughts on the winemaking process, and how the wine embodies the soul of the vine. He was describing how as a viticulturist, it's so much about the fine art of developing the vine, how depth of soil, amount of sunlight exposure and the push/pull of those (among other factors) can balance out the flavor of the finished grape. While different varietal blends can help balance out flavor, it always comes down to the grape itself and the care that went into it.

We sampled several wines, going from their 2008 Unoaked Chardonnay, to a sweeter Chenin Blanc and Riesling. A long line of red wines were sampled as well, with the 2003 Syrah from the Red Willow Vineyard being one of my favorites of the night. Bill Collins has a story for every type of wine, from how he learned the meaning behind "Malbec," to a memorable way of checking the true color of a wine, holding it against the light and letting it cast its hue on a white surface, but he put it best by saying the descriptive terms always sound better when using terms for gemstones and precious metals. Wiser words never spoken.

TGI Wine and Pizza Wednesdays - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Chef Jeff Lantz is the man behind the new food menu. A lawyer turned chef who's always had his heart set on the appreciation of wine and food, he's come up with flavor combinations that are both traditional and creative. The popular and perennial choice is their Margherita, the traditional pizza with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and a sprinkle of chopped basil. The ones to try are definitely their seasonal pizzas, which change out about every three weeks. I was able to sample the Great American Pie, a meaty combination of beef and bacon finely minced and spread over the thin crust, and the Apple Pie Columbia Style, with cinnamon apples, blue cheese, pecans and caramelized onion. Both were delicious, but I have to say the sweet/savory Apple Pie was my favorite, with its nice balance of ingredients, plus it paired so nicely with the wines Bill poured -- the Riesling and Chenin Blanc. The Great American Pie was wonderful with the hearty reds; I wouldn't normally drink a Sangiovese on its own, but paired with the pizza, it mellowed nicely and really became part of the meal.

It feels a little like revealing a secret, sharing this little gem of a hangout spot, but that's exactly what Columbia Winery has done with renovating their interiors and making it a place that's as much for the locals as it is for visitors. The place gets busy, so go early! The tasting room is open daily (except on Mondays) and on Wednesdays, they offer their wines by the glass and flatbreads at half off from 5 to 7pm, so even more of a reason to duck out of work a little early during the middle of the week. You can see their hours and contact information here on their site.

Many Wasabi Thanks to Bill Collins, Kerry Norton and the whole team at Columbia Winery for giving the grand tour and a lovely evening with such fine company!

FoodTrek: Wasabi Woodinville Wine Woman at DeLille Cellars

I felt like a Pemco Northwest Profile character this weekend, wine tasting around Woodinville with Auntie S. visiting from Northern California. Sadly, she missed out on the Big Finish, having to fly back on Sunday, but Mr. Wasabi and I were lucky to be invited to DeLILLE Cellars' Spring Barrel Tasting on April 25th, aka, the birthing day of Wasabimus Prime. The day was blessed with lovely wines, delicious eats care of Skillet Street Food, live music, and an amazingly sunny day. Walla Walla Wine Wine Woman Woman, we salute you!

Wearing the Northwest Profile badge of honor proudly at DeLILLE Cellars - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I think the first thing people say when they come to DeLILLE is, Ye gods, how did I ever miss this place - it's freakin' amazing! Well, maybe they don't say exactly that, but you get the idea. The main DeLILLE Cellars' Chateau is along Route 202/Woodinville Redmond Road NE, nestled atop a woodsy picturesque hill, and they have a new tasting room at the nearby Carriage House, which recently opened last fall and makes their wines available to the public for tasting. For DeLILLE events, the Chateau is used and it's a beautiful space. For their seasonal releases, they have tasting bars inside and out, and for this perfect spring day, they had tables set up under a tent where a live band played, people sat on the sunny steps or found a shady spot by a little fish pond. It's such a pretty location -- I sometimes want to keep it to myself and not tell anyone, so that it stays a little hidden Northwest gem, but it's just too lovely a location, the wines are tasty, and let's face it -- I stink at keeping a secret. So consider this the wine-soaked cat being let out of the bag. And stumbling.

The most-awesome silver bullet of Skillet Street Food (bacon jam love!) was there to provide guests with picnic-friendly pulled pork sandwiches with a tangy apple slaw on a grilled bun and crispy fries, or a vegetarian spring risotto. It was too nice not to eat outside, so we grabbed a spot on a park bench by a little fish pond, sat our glasses on a wine barrel, and had our meal al fresco, with a glass of vino. If I wasn't totally om-nomming to my heart's content, it would have been a lovely photo, so just take my Wasabi Word for it.

Skillet Street, live music, tasty wine - spring is HERE! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I was lucky to chat with winemaker Chris Peterson for a bit, and he explained the process behind DeLILLE wines.Working with a profile of elegant, refined and classic tastes, they produce the Bordeaux styles that include their Chaleur Estate (red and white), and their very popular D2 full of Merlot flavor, as well as their Doyenne wines that include a Rhone-styled Syrah and their Aix, a Provence-style red that was sampled at the event. Their Chaleur Estate blends are their flagship wines, and both their Blanc and Rouge were available for tasting -- I personally enjoyed the 2008 Chaleur Estate Blanc, which had a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes. It had a dry sweetness that made it very enjoyable on its own, but could easily be paired with a fresh spring salad. One of the popular favorites has always been the D2, with a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot grapes, giving it a really rich flavor that Chris aptly described as, "voluptuous," and "silky on the palette" -- this is exactly why people love this wine with such a great mouth feel, and why it's been a favorite. And this is also why we have a bottle sitting in our humble little wine collection at home.

The DeLILLE wines represent a harmony of tastes with careful attention to the combination of grapes and the knowledgeable palettes of experts to classify flavors to match their time-tested wines. Each wine truly has its own profile, like a character in a book, and winemakers like Chris Peterson are given the opportunity to sort the flavors of the many vineyards to ensure the personalities of each wine comes through. I asked about DeLILLE's sustainable practices, and along with working towards LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) certification, they do other practices outside of typical certification like encouraging biodiversity in the plants and animals who can naturally prevent imbalances and keep pests under control, as well as "soft" farming techniques that encourage the use of environmentally friendly pesticides, like organic-certified oils. At the end of the day, responsible and careful practices in both growing the grapes and making wine is mutually beneficial to both the quality of the wine and the soil and plants that produce its rare flavor.

The tasting events at DeLILLE are fun. It's as simple as that. They have seasonal release events from February thru August, so head to their Events page to see when the next one is. Even in the dead of winter, they'll hold toasty-warm release events and you feel lucky to be living in the Pacific Northwest, sipping wine and just enjoying life. Granted, maybe it was the birthday-high of getting old(er), but this made for a super-duper spring day -- and to top it all off, we saw Mr. and Mrs. Salty Seattle at the event as well! I love foodie blogger Salty Seattle to bits -- she's such a doll and she was so sweet to leave me a Happy Birthday singing message on my phone when I had to go home and rest like an ol' lady because of a pulled back muscle. Yes, getting old kinda stinks, but a day of wine, song, and pulled pork sammiches make for a pretty nice day.

Sshhh... it's the best-kept Pac NW secret! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Wasabi Cheers to DeLILLE Cellars for the invitation to enjoy this event in the lovely springtime sun, as well as to Chris Peterson for letting me bend his hear for a bit to chat wine and the love of grapes.